For a long time there has been a dearth of fresh, truthful hymns in the church. There have been some, but for the most part they have been sparse. Chris Anderson, Greg Habegger, and others at Churchworksmedia.com have been proactive in putting forth good music that is rich in doctrine with fresh, yet timeless music.
Their philosophy is that: 1) Music should be intentionally Scriptural; 2) Worship music should be intentionally God-glorifying; 3) Worship music should be intentionally Christ-centered; 4) Worship music should be intentionally congregational; 5) Worship music should be intentionally fervent; and 6) Worship music should be intentionally distinct. They follow this with each hymn that I have seen thus far.
I really appreciate the “Notes & Discussion” section that accompanies each hymn. There, explanation is given for the reasoning and biblical text behind each song. It is apparent that the writers put a large amount of time in meditation and prayer while preparing and writing their songs.
I can see many of these songs lasting in Christ-centered churches until the Lord returns. May favorites so far are “My Jesus, Fair” which we are singing with our JH and HS choirs this year, and “I Run To Christ” which we have sung in our youth group.
I do hope that more people join in writing good music along the same lines as those at Church Works Media. I am sure there are more than just a handful that the Lord can use in this way. And if you do end up writing a hymn, I urge you to release it in the same open-source type of way that those at CWM have. As my elementary teachers said, “Sharing is caring.”
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